Carmela Cecilia Layne – or Toloto as she was affectionately called by her family and friends - was born on January 13, 1949 in Colón, Panamá to James Bolden and Esmin Wint. She was the first born of five children.
Carmela left Panama in 1976 and settled in the small coastal town of Seaside, California – a place that she called home for over forty years. Carmela was an active member of her community and found a second home with her extended church family at the New Hope Baptist Church.
Carmela committed her life to educating herself and others. She started her career as an early childhood educator, teaching hundreds of children throughout the Monterey Peninsula. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from Chapman University in 1998, her Master of Arts in Education from San José State University in 2001, and her Master of Arts in Psychology from Chapman University in 2009, Carmela became a Marriage and Family Therapist. In addition to serving as an educator and therapist for over 30 years, Carmela was an accomplished author and self-published a series of successful children’s books. Upon retiring in 2014, she joined her daughters and relocated to Locust Grove, Georgia in 2017 – where she lived until she was called home on September 9, 2020.
Carmela was always the life of the party and was known for her sense of humor, her commitment to her family, her culinary skills, her kindhearted and welcoming spirit, and most of all, her love and dedication to her children and grandchildren. Carmela was larger than life, and her spirit is far greater than her petite frame. She will be deeply missed by everyone that has been blessed by her presence.
Carmela was preceded in death by her parents James Bolden and Esmin Wint, as well as her brothers Samuel Coulbourne and Javier Bolden. Those who are left to cherish her memories include her brothers: Jorge Bolden, Sr., and Jose Bolden; her sisters: Sandra Sessions and Zuleika Bolden; her children: Jessica Layne-Plumboy, Carmela Layne, Mitzila Layne-Bowers, and Ishmael Skylark; nine grandchildren: Mikaela Sanford, Brandon McNeil, Kieran Strong, Ishanti Skylark, Imarri Skylark, Tayshaun Skylark, Joshua Skylark, Jordan Skylark, and Tyson Skylark; four great-grandchildren: Jazleen Davett, Jameelah McNeil, Vincent McNeil, and Kaiden Strong; one daughter in-law Michelle Skylark; one son in-law Woodrow Plumboy, Jr.; and one granddaughter in-law Traniece McNeil – as well as a host of nieces, nephews, extended family, other relatives, and friends.
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